Feminist Movement Essay

2366 Words5 Pages

Feminism, an issue that has been on the rise for a vast amount of time but didn’t make an official appearance until 1828. There were three different movements spread out from 1828 until present day. The second feminism movement which challenged historical attitudes not only increased opportunities for women, but also helped to expand their legal rights.
Before the first feminist movement (up until 1828), women were treated less than equal. They had no rights or security. From a young age, they were expected to be married off to a man their parents approved of, often times it was an arranged marriage. There were often deals that accompanied an arranged marriage, deals that benefitted everyone but the young woman. The man’s family would get …show more content…

In 1920, the “Nineteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution” was passed. The women had fought a long battle for women suffrage and eventually won the right to vote. The first feminist movement also introduced the “Equal Rights Movement” which focused on bringing "Equality of rights under the law shall not be abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." (Equal Rights Amendment) Which meant, men and women were equal under the law. They had the right to leave and be entitled to half of the family belongings. Women could also not get married and still be able to make money, since they could now work. Although jobs for females were limited. “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” (The universal declaration of human rights) yet during this time, discrimination was still commonly out there. They couldn’t just end female inequality, men were too stubborn to end the battle. It would be a long journey, no matter how many laws they …show more content…

This was a big step forward for women everywhere, they could finally live a life without men and still be okay. Women were finally responsible for themselves, their own person; free. In 1963 the “Equal Pay Act” was introduced in the United States. This act stopped employers from discriminating their employees on the bases of gender and paying less to one gender; and more to the other. Although some still got away with it, women were still given a fair chance at equal pay after decades of battles. In 1970, the royal commission published the “Status of women” report. It focused on making recommendations to fix the problems women were facing. It introduced daycare, maternity leave, birth control, pensions, and let women have a better chance at education. This let women have more of a chance in the work force. They found that men were still making more and had more chances at getting the job than women did. “The Charter of Rights and Freedoms” was also updated in 1982. It updated and added laws created over the last few decades, it included women as their own person this time, owned by no one. Free to do as they

More about Feminist Movement Essay

Open Document